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Osage County consultants outline controller role, recommend statutory bond and search plan
Summary
Consultants briefed the Osage County Commission on March 10 about filling a county controller position, recommending adding a statutory bonding requirement to the job description, prioritizing financial-management tasks, and recruiting from Kansas local-government candidates; commissioners discussed benchmarks and next steps.
Consultants working with Osage County presented commissioners a recruiting and scope recommendation on March 10 for a new county controller position, emphasizing the need to include the statutory bonding requirement in the job description and to prioritize financial-management duties during the first year.
Jeff and Deb (consultants) told commissioners they had compiled survey responses and overlaid them with statutory duties to identify gaps in the posted position description. Deb recommended explicitly adding the statutory bond requirement so that unbondable candidates can be screened out early. County counselor Josh agreed that a line referencing the statutory bond should be added to the job posting and that the county might pay for the bond per statute.
The consultants described the controller as a statutory financial officer responsible for accounts payable/receivable, payroll oversight, budget reporting and implementing auditor recommendations. They recommended that the position focus first on bringing books and payroll processes into a steady state and then propose staffing for HR or other functions where needed. Commissioners asked about the expected payroll volume (consultants cited an approximate monthly payroll of $735,000–$740,000), the number of county employees (about 140), and whether the controller would manage compliance related to economic development incentives; consultants said the controller would shepherd books and coordinate with auditors and the economic development office as needed.
Benchmarks commissioners agreed to include were: department-head satisfaction surveys (18 months), the ability to start an audit five months after year-end, accurate W-2 and 1099 issuance, and regular quarterly financial reports to enable proactive budgeting. Commissioners debated whether a dedicated controller was preferable to raising departmental pay, but the body signaled support for proceeding with the search. An invoice/deposit to the recruitment firm (BD-C001) for $10,000 was authorized so the search may proceed.
Next steps: staff will update the job description to reference the bond statute, consultants will circulate references and candidate-sourcing plans, and the county will schedule interviews once the search begins.
